Walled city hong kong

HONG KONG: Ryan began the day pretending to his parents that he was off to play football and ended it with a rubber bullet to the leg sustained in clashes with Hong Kong's police.The 19-year-old bespectacled student is one of what Hong Kong protesters have dubbed "the braves" - hardline pro-democracy activists who have embraced violence and specialise in fighting police.Were it not for Hong Kong's summer of rage, Ryan might have been enjoying the holidays and getting ready to start university later this month.Instead, he has spent most of the past 14 weekends on the barricades of the city's huge and sometimes violent anti-government protests, a frontline role he has managed to keep secret from his parents at home.He joined the protests at the start, initially as a first aider.But he soon found himself radicalised after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear demonstrators outside the city's parliament on Jun 12.He remains unapologetic about turning to violence, saying … [Read more...] about ‘Braves’ on the frontlines of Hong Kong’s protests

Hong Kong witnessed the worst political violence in a generation as police fought largely young demonstrators opposed to a controversial extradition bill HONG KONG - Once dubbed "Asia's Finest", Hong Kong's police are fighting allegations of using excessive violence against protesters, their headquarters besieged twice in the last week as calls for an independent inquiry into their tactics swell.Pro-democracy lawmaker Wu Chi-wai was aghast as thick clouds of tear gas drifted through Hong Kong's streets and rubber bullets slammed into ranks of protesters.The international finance hub witnessed the worst political violence in a generation as police fought largely young demonstrators opposed to a now postponed plan to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.The tear gas was initially deployed against small but hardcore groups of protesters -- some throwing projectiles and using metal barriers as battering rams -- who were trying to occupy the city's parliament on June … [Read more...] about Hong Kong police: Anger swells against ‘Asia’s Finest’

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's embattled leader on Saturday suspended a hugely divisive bill that would allow extraditions to China in a major climbdown after a week of unprecedented protests and political unrest. The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Those clashes came three days after chief executive Carrie Lam refused to be budged by a record-breaking rally in which organizers said more than a million people marched through the streets calling for the bill to be scrapped. After days of mounting pressure -- including from her own allies -- Lam relented on Saturday, announcing that work on the bill would be halted with no deadline set for its introduction. The decision is a rare concession from the city's pro-Beijing leaders who have successfully faced down demands from pro-democracy demonstrators in recent … [Read more...] about Hong Kong leader suspends extradition bill after huge protests

HONG KONG: Their motto has been "Asia's Finest" since colonial times, but videos of Hong Kong police beating unarmed protesters have fuelled public anger and sparked accusations of brutality.Tens of thousands of demonstrators occupying city streets scattered when police used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds on Wednesday (Jun 12).Police insisted the force was necessary to fend off protesters throwing bricks and metal bars.But critics said officers used localised violence by small groups of hardcore activists to launch an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters who had taken over parts of the city on Wednesday.Criticism of police tactics poured in Thursday as videos of the clashes went viral.The Hong Kong Bar Association slammed the "deployment of wholly unnecessary force against largely unarmed protesters who did not appear to pose any immediate threat to the police or the public at large."The group said the police "may well … [Read more...] about Police face mounting brutality claims after Hong Kong clashes

HONG KONG: Thousands of candles flickered under leaden Hong Kong skies on Tuesday evening, and among those holding them were Chinese mainlanders, determined to breach the censorship and taboos that surround paying tribute to Tiananmen’s fallen back home. Hong Kong’s annual vigil is the only place in China were mass commemorations can be safely held, the huge crowds in Victoria Park a testimony to freedoms that are denied to so many on the Chinese mainland. Inside China itself the anniversary was marked with a wall of silence and extra security, with authorities arresting activists and tightening internet censorship ahead of the politically sensitive anniversary. Yet Chinese mainlanders still made their way across the border to attend Hong Kong’s commemoration. There they heard fiery speeches calling for the end of one-party rule — and learnt more about an event authorities in China have tried to scrub from the public’s consciousness. One woman from … [Read more...] about Mainlanders defy authorities to attend Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil